White Marlin Open Day 2: Late tuna brings cheer on a quiet day

Rough seas and overcast skies kept many anglers off the water for the second day of the White Marlin Open tournament.

However, once 8:30 a.m. rolled around – the official start time for anglers to cast their lines – 19 boats still set out for a chance to reel in a prize-winning catch in the 44th annual tournament in Ocean City. Nearly $5 million will be given away at the conclusion of the competition, a White Marlin Open record.

Unlike the previous day, which saw 136 of the 353 registered boats try their luck at sea, Tuesday’s outing featured a much quieter atmosphere as spectators waited for hours for the first fish of the day to make its way to the scale.

WEDNESDAY'S STORY: 1st qualifying white marlin of 2017 White Marlin Open caught 

READ MORE: White Marlin Open Day 1: Several big tun amid tornado warnings

BACKGROUND: An evolving White Marlin Open returns to Ocean City

After three hours ticked by with no anglers to be found, many wondered whether their time had been wasted, or if something big was on the horizon.

“I brought my family out to see everything, and really we’ve just been standing here trying to stay awake,” said Kevin Rogers of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “I understand with fishing there’s always waiting ... I guess it’s just my luck it’s taken this long.”

But as the last hour of the weighing came around, the anticipation finally ended.

Greeted by cheers and waives, the Blue Runner out of Point Place, New Jersey, came cruising into Harbour Island Marina with five tunas on board.

As the boat docked, it was announced only two of the fish would be weighed. But once the tunas were brought from below deck, gasps echoed the crowd at the enormous size.

Jarrod Keely of Ohio sent his tuna to the scales first, where it weighed in at 60.1 pounds — the second heaviest fish in its category.

“You can’t see the tuna until it gets closer, and it’s still hard to tell, but you’re really excited once you get it on the deck,” Keeley said. “You can always lose it, it can break the line, so it’s always a big relief.”

Following Keely was his shipmate, Jim Boynton of Massachusetts, who climbed to the top of the leaderboard with a 67-pound yellowfin tuna.

If Boynton maintains his first-place position, he will collect $460,000. However, he is guaranteed $40,000 for having the largest catch of the day.

“It really is a great feeling, but it could have been any of us,” Boynton said.

The two both said it was the luck of the draw regarding their top catches. Like many boats, the Blue Runner operates on a rotation system, and for Keely and Boynton, it was just their time for glory.

“I was No. 3 in the rotation, and these guys are a bunch of great guys and they always hold our spots,” Boynton said. “If I was No. 8, I’d have the little one in the box.”

As of 8 p.m., the five fish brought in by the Blue Runner were the only catches of the day.

Out of the 130-plus boats that competed on Day 1, only four fish brought to the scales qualified for the tournament — a 64-pound tuna by Jim Stavola of the Milling Around, a 57-pound tuna from Tommy Parlacoski of the Slabjack, a 55.5-pound tuna caught by Jason Walker of Tale Chaser and a 55-pound Wahoo from Gary Capuano aboard the Hog Wild.

Tournament officials sent out an email Monday evening warning anglers of the rough conditions on Tuesday, but after looking at the weather report and getting advice from their captain, the Blue Runner decided to take a chance.

“I think that email made people a little nervous, but we looked and it didn’t really look that bad, so we thought if a lot of people ditched, it would increase our odds a lot, and that’s exactly what happened,” Boynton said.

The tournament is set to pick up Wednesday, with hundreds of anglers expected to participate in the third day.

While it’s not certain Keeley and Boynton will stay atop the leaderboard, the two plan to celebrate and congratulate their crew on a job well done.

“We’ll get dinner and couple of drinks,” Keely said with a laugh.